Jimmy DuHamel

4/14/16
Foundation of Education
Teagle Essay
Professor Suk

Hunterdon Preparatory School, Observe a classroom for 20 hours

Todays educational system is highly debated and there are some re-occurring issues of diverse,
equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities within the education system. The one issue that I
really noticed during my service learning experience is the issue of equability. During my
placement I was in a school that was for people with psychological disabilities and physical
disabilities and these children had a good understanding of their issues and why they were at that
school. Some of the psychological issues that the children had included; high anxiety, exposure
to a lot of stress which would cause them to shut down, and socializing issues. But, these
students had a very good understanding of their issue and what they had to do or maintain for
them to be as successful in school as possible. Equability was a very big issue in the class that I
was placed in because there was one teacher who was responsible for 10 students a class period
for nine periods of the day. But, the part of the issue that made it noticeable was the fact that each
student was in a different year of high school. We can build our commitment to civic and moral
responsibility for equitable communities by making sure that each student has access to same
amount of resources and the same chances to succeed that every other student has.
The class that I was placed in for my service learning was a science class and because each
student in the class was in a different grade, for the most part, they all were learning different
science disciplines. This is an issue because with only one teacher in the classroom and possibly
10 different subjects going on at once it was hard for the teacher to keep up with each student.
Even though the teacher seemed to be handling this issue very well it is not possible that he
could help every single student all the time because he had 10 different students in 10 different
subjects to worry about. This is an overarching issue in this type of schooling and classroom

because even though the teacher is not purposely ignoring the students it is almost impossible to
give each student the same attention and dedication throughout a class period.
Another problem that is grouped in with this classroom is that besides the 10 different science
disciplines for the 10 ten students, but they also work at their own pace with the material. This is
also an issue because with each student working at their own pace the teacher has to keep up
with all the grading and creating of the assignments for the student so they know what they did
wrong and try and fix it for the next assignment. Labs also come into with high school science
classes and with this classroom dynamic there are also days in which some students are doing
different labs and some are doing textbook work. That is a challenge to keep up with because
you need to lead the different labs, but students working in the textbook may also have questions
that need the teachers attention, but they could be working with the lab students.
There are many different course concepts that helped me better understand this issue of
equability and those concepts are differentiated learning, social and emotional learning, and
problem based learning. Differentiated learning is the practice of using variety of instructional
strategies to address the different learning needs of students (Teach3, 2015). This type of learning
helped me better understand the problem that I observed during my service learning because the
teacher in this type of class has so many different educational needs that they have to fill and
each student learns a different way. Differentiated learning can cause an equitable problem
because if you start to group students together they do not get their fair opportunities to succeed
in the classroom.
Social Emotional learning refers to individuals abilities to manage their emotions,
develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive
relationships, and handle challenging situations effectively (Teach, 2015). This type of learning

helped me better understand this problem of equability because in this classroom social
emotional learning is very hard to maintain because some students were not aware of other
students problems and it caused them to be less sympathetic with their classmates issues and
life problems. Also, this type of learning helped me better identify the issue of equability because
the students in this class were not as individualistic as most students and needed to rely on the
teacher in order to get through class smoothly. Lastly, problem-based learning is focused,
experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world
problems (Teach3, 2015). This refers to the hands-on type of classroom and thats exactly what
this science class was. But, these students, because of their various issues, were not the greatest
in responding to hands-on class activities such as their labs. Finally, problem-based learning
helped me understand the issue of equability because the students that I observed in class needed
the answers given to them and they more focused on how to get there which is different from
problem-based learning.
My coursework and activities at this school have shaped my personal and academic
career goals a little bit differently then I first thought it would. As far as personal career goals,
after observing and helping students with questions and labs in this specific class I would like to
understand their issues better then only getting to know them for 20 hours. Also, I am interested
and would like to learn the psychology behind these students and why their anxiety, social, or
physical issues prevent them from learning in a traditional environment. But, by no means am I
not completely understanding of these issues I would just like to further educate myself, so if I
have a possibility of working with these students as a teacher I know at least the background of
these issues.

My career goals have defiantly changed more then my personal goals after the experience
of working with these students. At first, I wanted to strictly be a public school teacher and work
with children and young adults who can learn in the traditional school environment. But, after
working with these interesting and amazing students I have not and will not close the door of a
possibility of working with these challenged individuals and try and make a difference in their
lives and in their academic careers. The first moment when I realized that I would love an option
of working with students like this is when I saw a young girl struggling in basic Earth Science
and she looked so troubled and as if her day was ruined because she did not understand what she
was reading or writing. In my opinion, that is exactly what school is not supposed to be because I
feel that school should be a fun and safe learning environment in order for you to actually learn
and understand the material and you should never feel that down about not understanding a topic.
Lastly, if I had that opportunity to work with those students I would love to try and make a
difference in their lives and academic careers.
One of the biggest societal and global issues that comes along with unfairness in the
classroom is that if a classroom is unequitable for whatever reason success is limited and uneven.
The problem with uneven success in a classroom is that a classroom is its own community and if
one person is limited in any way or uneven with another in any way it creates a noticeable
problem within the community members. Even in a situation like this class that I was placed in
for my service learning and it is not the teachers fault that he/she cannot be available for 10
different students and the same time, but it creates an unfair advantage for the students that are
always getting help and achieving success.
A possible solution that not only factuality members can take, but entire school districts is to
continue to engage in equitable practices. This will help the issue of limited and uneven success

because it will keep teachers and classes at the appropriate teacher to student ratio and will keep
every student on an even playing field. Amy Sun states in her article from Everyday Feminism
states that If we cannot blame our differences, then we must look to systematic obstacles.
Would we assess a fishs success by its ability to climb a tree? No way, (Sun, 2014). This quote
symbolizes that even though equability can be an issue in these types of schools and classrooms
all over the world a students success should not be measured by intangibles that they cannot
control.
In my opinion, I believe that more people should care about this issue because it is a
serious issue and just because your child is in public schools there are children that have unfair
classrooms. Put yourself in that childs situation, if you had to deal with an unfair classroom you
would understand the troubles that come along with it. Even if you cannot put yourself in that
childs shoes put your child in their shoes because you would not want your child to have an
unfair advantage to obtain knowledge and success in a classroom just because the student needs
outweighs the teachers means. Finally, this is an big issue that more people should care about
because these students could grow up to be potential doctors, police officers, or even the
president of the United States and if they have an uneven playing field in the classroom and
limited success they may never reach their full potential.
One action that I can take to reduce the impact of the problem is support a family
member that is affected by the problem. One of my little cousins has high social anxiety and goes
to a specialized school much like the one I was at for service learning. In the classrooms and her
school there are a maximum, which is usually hit in each class, of 15 students and only one
teacher. This is an exact example of equitable issues within the classroom because there are some
days in which she does not even get any work done because her teacher has to help 14 other

students before he can help her. So, with this issue effecting her directly sometimes I go over her
house and help her out with her science homework and try to teach her the material that her
teacher could not help her with. This really helps her because I want to be a science major, so I
can really help her with her Earth Science material and help her get the same type of attention
that she might have missed out on in that class and keep her up to speed with her classmates and
the material.
Another action that I can take to reduce the impact of this problem for other students is
by taking another education course to understand why this issue exists and to try and come up
with possible solution for it. By taking another education course I mean taking a field
experience class and asking if I could be placed in a classroom setting like this for more hours to
fully understand the issue that the students and teachers face on a daily basis. Then, by
understanding this issue in its entirety I can brainstorm with the teacher and administration about
possible solutions to fix the issue. Possible solutions could be adding another teacher to the class,
reducing the students in the class, or trying to group the students together a little more in their
coursework so that they get a broad understanding of the material first.
The last action that I could take the reduce the impact of the issue of equability in the
classroom is by learning the psychology behind these issues and what type of resources these
students really need and trying to implement that into my future class, if I was to work with these
types of students. This could really reduce the impact of the issue because by knowing what each
student needs in relation to resources could make it a little bit more even of a playing field in the
classroom. By knowing exactly how much attention and the type of resources each students
needs can almost create a time management plan so that each student gets exactly what they need
while still working at their own pace to their own specific material. Also, this can help because it

gives you a sense of which student needs a little bit harder or work then the others and you can
also tailor assignments to those needs as well.
In conclusion, we as future and current educators can build our commitment to civic and
moral responsibility for equitable communities by making sure that each student has access to
same amount of resources and the same chances to succeed that every other student has. By
doing this we are creating and maintain the even playing field type of classroom that every
student should have. Also, if we continue to educate ourselves on this issue of equability in the
classroom and implement some solutions we will not continue to limit the success of certain
students and instead give them the equal chance that they deserve.

Works Cited:

Koch, J. (2015). Teach3: Introduction to Education (Student ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning.
Sun, A. (2014, September 16). Equality Is Not Enough: What the Classroom Has Taught Me
About Justice. Retrieved April 12, 2016

Jimmy DuHamel

Professor Suk
EDUC 230-01 Education Field Experience
Fall 2016
Rationale Statement-Standard # 5

Standard # and Title: Standard # 5 Application of Content

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage
leaners in critical thinking, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and
global issues (NJDoE, 2014, Pg. 6).

Artifact: Service Learning Activity

Date of Completion: Spring 2016

Course Completed in: EDUC 212 Foundations of Education

Rationale Statement:
The artifact that I chose to use for this standard was my Teagle Essay from my service
learning project that I completed in Foundation of Education in the Spring of 2016. For this
Teagle essay we were asked to talk about our experience with our placements for our Service
Learning portion of the Foundations of Education class. This service learning project involved us
completing twenty hours of service time at whatever school we were placed at. While we were at
these schools, we were placed with teachers in our potential subject field and we observed and

got involved in the class while we were there. Speaking from my own experience, I was in a
High School science class at a special private school that had students with learning disabilities,
social anxieties, and other problems that did not allow them to attend public school. While I was
in this classroom, I observed the class and how it operated, helped some of the students complete
labs, helped students with homework and class work, and also shadowed the teacher while he
graded, taught the class, and all of the basic duties of a teacher. This artifact directly correlates to
the critical dispositions part of standard five because the teacher values flexible learning
environments that encourage learner exploration, discovery, and expression across content area
(NJDoE, 2014, Pg. 8). This directly relates to the standard because as a future teacher now with
experience in a non-traditional school setting it shows that there are other ways to learn besides
your typical lecture and test system.
This artifact indirectly taught me a few things about teaching and classroom management
that will stick with me until the day I actually get to teach. One thing that I really took away from
this experience is that you do not have to have a traditional classroom and teaching method in
order to educate your students. The main ingredient that helps you keep your students on the
right educational path with keeping them interested in the material and, if possible, relating it to
the modern day as much as possible because the students could have a better comprehension of
the material. Also, another thing that I learned from this artifact is that the creative thinking
process is vitally important for a student to develop. This is important because students need to
learn how to Think outside the box, and it is just important for students to develop that type of
thinking because it will be used the rest of their lives. Lastly, this artifact taught me that keeping
a social, but serious feel in the classroom can also keep things light for the students and gives
them a comfortable feel to succeed in the classroom.

This artifact can be used in my future classroom because it can help the students feel and
see a comfortable environment to succeed in while challenging them the whole time. Also, I can
relate the material that the students are learning to current events or modern day objects in the
science field and beyond. Learning about and discussing current events, especially in the science
discipline, can be a key learning tool for the students to understand the material and I plan on
having my students relate each chapter of the material to one current event or modern object.
Lastly, this artifact can be used in my future classroom because I can choose or vary the
traditional teaching method sometimes with the non-traditional teaching method for the students,
so that they can see both styles and succeed with both or a mixture of both.

Reference

Professional Development in New Jersey. (2014, August 4). Retrieved from New
Jersey State Department of Education:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap9c.pdf